A former top Adelaide bureaucrat who lied on her curriculum vitae (CV) to secure her lucrative SA Government position has been jailed for at least 12 months.
Veronica Hilda Theriault, 45, was chief information officer within the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) when she was charged with deception, dishonestly dealing with documents and abuse of public office in September 2017.
On Tuesday, District Court Judge Michael Boylan sentenced Theriault to 25 months in jail with a non-parole period of 12 months.
Theriault pleaded guilty to all charges relating to her fraudulently securing the DPC job, which attracted a $270,000 salary.
Judge Boylan said the offending was somewhat sophisticated and required some planning.
The court heard she was employed in the position for about a month and earned about $33,000 in that time before her mental health declined and her crimes were uncovered.
Judge Boylan said he took into account Theriault's mental health struggles, including her bipolar disorder.
During sentencing, Justice Boylan said Theriault applied for the DPC role and included in her application a CV that showcased a fabricated education and work history.
"That CV led to you being interviewed for the job — you supplied that document to the Department of Premier and Cabinet and [it] is the basis for dishonestly dealing with documents," he said.
He said Theriault also gave the DPC false references as part of the job application.
"You arranged that your brother would supply a reference to the department in which he said he worked for you when you were employed at Wotif," he said.
"That reference contained false information — neither you nor your brother had ever worked at Wotif."
He said Theriault pretended to be a "Ms Best", whom she had named as a referee on her CV, and spoke to recruiters as part of the application.
"She gave glowing feedback about your performance, but in fact you were impersonating Ms Best," he said.
"The real Ms Best had not given you a reference."
Judge Boylan said Theriault organised for her brother, Alan Hugh Melville Corkill, to be awarded a Government contract that allowed him to earn $21,000.
She also used a picture of supermodel Kate Upton on her LinkedIn profile.
Other conduct also included in sentencing
Judge Boylan said other conduct — which did not form part of the charges — was considered during the sentencing.
"In order to negotiate a higher salary than that for which the department was originally going to pay, you supplied the department with a falsified pay slip to show what you had been, or would have been, earning in the private sector," he said.
"Not long before your employment was terminated, you then supplied a letter to the department saying you were fit for work. That letter was false.
"You had written it, not your treating doctor."
